The future in the management of patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis

Introduction: The optimal management of patients with asymptomatic (AsxCS) and symptomatic carotid stenosis (SxCS) is still debatable. The present article will discuss emerging technological advances for the diagnosis and management of patients with AsxCS. Evidence acquisition: PubMed/MedLine was searched until December 31, 2024 for studies in English discussing emerging technological advances in the diagnosis and management of patients with AsxCS. Evidence synthesis: Several technological advances have recently been reported, among others, nanoplastics and microplastics, artificial intelligence and machine learning in predictive analytics for stroke prevention, digital twins for personalized monitoring, electronic tattoos for continuous non-invasive monitoring, stroke risk prediction through plaque morphology and late-phase contrast-enhanced ultrasound. A brief overview of each technological advance is presented and discussed. Conclusions: The technological advances discussed in the present article will aid the early diagnosis of AsxCS as well as the individualized optimal management of patients with AsxCS.